![the black axe symbol mouse guard the black axe symbol mouse guard](https://d1466nnw0ex81e.cloudfront.net/n_iv/600/1000321.jpg)
Petersen lists Mouse Guard: The Weasel War as being the next outing for the Mouse Guard, but as of yet, it hasn’t materialized…let’s hope the mice live to fight another day (or a whole slew of days would even be better). The story of Lieam, Kenzie, and Saxon hasn’t continued and the struggles of mice seems like it is in limbo at the moment. With the time and quality of the book, it takes a long time to come out and after Mouse Guard: The Black Axe, the Mouse Guard hasn’t popped up in story form in a while. The part of Mouse Guard that is bad is that it leaves you wanting more. Petersen is able to breathe life into all of the creations in the story and does it with class and style. The story has battles with fishers, a slightly warmer reception by ferrets, and a battle with a fox…which demonstrates that even predators can be sympathetic in some ways. In this volume, you get to see fish, badgers, bears, and turtles among other animals. Part of the joy of the Mouse Guard is seeing the interaction with different animals and how Petersen illustrates them.
THE BLACK AXE SYMBOL MOUSE GUARD SERIES
The series constantly points to the difficulties of being a mouse in a big world, but this volume particularly demonstrates how even within the world of a mouse, the challenges are great. Em dies before she can claim the mantle after living a life potentially preparing for it, and Conrad’s life takes a turn for the worse when Celanawe must hide that he is the Black Axe and betray his friend by not supporting his claims (after maiming him). The story then takes a turn from the dangers and how one can earn the title of Black Axe to the pain and suffering that comes with being the Black Axe. The voyage of Celanawe with his kin Em and shipmate Conrad leads to an adventure with ferrets and a battle with a massive fox. The previous stories focused on the guardmouse trio of Lieam, Kenzie and Saxon and this serves as a flashback within that series. With great visuals and a solid story, Mouse Guard: The Black Axe is a welcomed continuation to Mouse Guard series…with one slight drawback. Mouse Guard is a great series and it is a series that you can tell takes a lot of work, and Petersen puts that effort into each page. The collection follows Mouse Guard Volume 2: Winter 1152 and was released to critical acclaim. Written and illustrated by David Petersen, Mouse Guard Volume 3: The Black Axe is a fantasy adventure comic book collection. The Black Axe must endure and the mouse that carries the Black Axe carries a heavy burden. From Celanawe’s life as a guardmouse to his path to discovering and becoming the Black Axe, the story is told of a quest and the price of the quest. Celanawe the Black Axe is dead and now Lieam the new Black Axe is tracing his history. You can find an excerpt from the story on the Archaia page by clicking on this link.Reprints Mouse Guard: The Black Axe #1-6 (December 2010-February 2013). Just as Celanwe passes The Black Axe to the next generation, this is a good story to share with kids of all ages. The layers of detail in both the art and the story will bring you back for multiple readings.ĭon’t pass this one up.
![the black axe symbol mouse guard the black axe symbol mouse guard](https://freshcomics.s3.amazonaws.com/issue_previews/MouseGuard_BlackAxe_BW_PRESS_19.jpg)
It is like reading an unknown history translated from a venerable scroll. Adults and children are equally likely to be enrapt by the story as the characters and events have a weight to them that makes them very real. A mash-up of animal fiction, comic books, alternate history science fiction, and epic fantasy, it is definitely more than the sum of these genres. The Mouse Guard series remains one of the best all ages comics. Fans can expect to be rewarded for following the story as the narrative returns to Summer of 1153 in its epilogue, shortly after the end of the last series, and The Black Axe itself gets handed down to the next generation. It includes a pin-up page by Mike Mignola and Dave Stewart of Hellboy. The conclusion to David Petersen’s Mouse Guard prequel, The Black Axe, arrives in comic shops on Wednesday, February 13th. “Rarely is any mouse ready for the weight of the axe. Mouse Guard Series Book 3 The Black Axe Hardcover: ISBN-10: 1936393069 ISBN-13: 978-1936393060 216 pages Published July 2013.